Dungeon of Caine

A year has passed since I found Mira. Thankfully, Kassim has allowed her to stay in the villa. She looks a lot better! But she still rarely talks... I try to visit her as much as possible and talk about our happier past. It's just hard for me to bring myself to go. I feel uneasy when I see her; the mental image I had of her before and her now clash in my head. At least I can be at peace knowing she isn't living like she was. There's still no news on my father, but after all these years, I have prepared myself for the most likely answer.

On the brighter side, I got promoted! After three years here, I have been promoted to the right hand of Kassim. Or is it the left hand? Because Malti is on the right side... Whatever it is, it's better than it was before. I have a much bigger room, and I get an allowance too. Maybe the greatest thing out of all of this is that I get to share a room with Malti. We were in the middle of changing and getting ready for duty.
Wow... She is... truly blessed...

She had her back turned towards me, going over what we were doing for the day, but I didn't catch a word of what she was saying. Malti told me she was twenty-two now, and she had... Well, striking features, to say the least. Her muscular body was covered in old scars, while her silver-blonde hair contrasted with her tanned skin.
This experience would be life-changing in my old life...

Then I looked down at my own body. To be honest, I didn't really feel much of anything. I'm not saying that I am ugly or anything. In fact, I would say that I'm pretty blessed myself. The thing is, I've been living in this world, this body, for almost as long as my previous life. Every passing day, I feel less like my old self and more like Sern. I just couldn't see myself feeling that way about my own body.
I guess it would be weird to be turned on by your own body...

"Hey, stop staring and hurry up!"

Malti was already dressed and ready to go while I was floating around in my head.

"Yeah! Sorry, coming!"

I run out of the room, following Malti. At the entrance of the villa, Kassim, Zagan, and a few more guards stood waiting.

"Finally! Are you ready for the dungeon?" Kassim asked.

Malti responded. "Yep! We'll lead the way."

What dungeon? Huh?

***

We rode on horseback a few dozen miles out of Astan and through the sandy desert until we reached what looked to be a cliff face. There, in the wall of orange-yellow stone, a carved entrance sat.

"This place is called 'The Dungeon of Caine.' I've been here a few times already; nobody has completed the dungeon yet." Kassim said.

"Huh." The entrance had intricate carvings that lined the entrance.

"There's nothing to be worried about. We've been here a few times before." Malti patted my head as she walked through the entrance.

I had an eerie feeling, but maybe that was because I had never been to a dungeon before.
I wonder if they are like the dungeons from the video games I played.

I took a deep breath and stepped in. The entrance led down a flight of steps. Nearing the bottom of the steps, I could see light coming from the other side. As we stepped through, I was stunned by the sight.
Wow...

A massive chasm at the center of the dungeon went down further than I could see. Around the chasm, trees and greenery, like a rainforest, flourished, growing on the spiral path that circled down into the abyss. The massive trees grew upside down, and long vines hung down the side of the pit. At the top of the dungeon, light shone brightly, and streams of water flowed seemingly out of nowhere down to the bottom.

"It's amazing, right?" Kassim was smiling.

"Yeah..." I was captivated by the sights.

"There are whole ecosystems in dungeons. The large amounts of mana that flow through these dungeons change and evolve the creatures living here."

"They say, thousands of years ago, demons lived in these dungeons. Then, one day, they decided to leave the dungeons and live in the outside world. Giving up part of their powers and, in exchange, becoming more human."

He paused. "But those are all just myths."

"Hey, let's start moving!" Malti waved over.

As we made our way down the spiraling path, I saw many strange-looking creatures. Small, translucent creatures with round white masks for faces watched us from tree branches and the mossy floor. They had two black holes for eyes.

"They are harmless," Malti said.

"And kinda of cute, don't you think?"

I guess, a little bit. But I didn't like how they kept staring. Moving further and further, we saw huge birds with multiple sets of wings, brightly colored carnivorous plants, and stone-like creatures that dragged themselves on the ground. But the worst of all were the bugs.

Not the normal bugs you would think of. Of course, they had to be massive and hideous. We had to cut through spiders as big as a person, with webs the size of a house, and centipedes that were dozens of feet long.

"These actually taste pretty good if you cook them right," Malti said, grinning, holding up part of a dead centipede.
Blegh. No way in hell I would eat that.

As we got to the bottom, the vegetation started to clear up, thank god.

"We can relax a little now; most of the creatures live higher up, closer to the light," Kassim told me.

"I have something important to tell you about, Sern." Kassim turned to look at me.

"It's the reason we came down to this dungeon in the first place. The mana here is so strong, nobody can use magic to spy or listen in on what I'm about to say."

I wondered what could be so important that we needed to do all of this.

"As you know, I am just the second prince of Amir. My brother, Kos Rasen II, is the first prince and due to inherit the throne..."

He paused, then continued.

"You see, I don't plan on letting that happen."
Wait, hold on. Is this what I think it is?

"I can see my brother for what he is. A weak, incompetent man who is easily led by the sycophants who surround him. Letting someone like him become king would devastate this country, my country."

"My problem is, I am just the second prince. And although my brother is all of those things I've said he is, he also does give off a veneer of power. He has my father's name; he is physically strong and handsome; he has incredibly strong and famous guards in his retinue. Most of all, he has the king's support as well as the high nobles' support."

His speech was rousing. His passion was seeping from every word.

"Needless to say, I am at every disadvantage... And that's why I need your help. I need strong and loyal allies who won't abandon me when the time comes."

I was confused, though. Even though my life has been pretty sweet working for him, I was still a slave.

"I am a slave. Why don't you just command me to help you?" I asked.

"I don't believe slavery inspires loyalty or trust. I need to be able to trust you, to rely on you... I cannot do that as it is. I do not want someone who may resent and despise me to be responsible for protecting my life and my secrets... And so."

He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a slip of paper. The paper was the document of purchase, stating that I was a slave. Kassim quietly began to incant.
Let the mana converge and flow through the conduit to become Fire

A ring on Kassim's finger produced a small flame, which engulfed the paper in seconds, leaving ash.

"You are no longer a slave. You may make any decision you want, of your own free will." Kassim stepped forward.

"I know it looks like a hopeless cause, like I'm grasping at straws, but I know I can become king. No, I will become king."

I was confused, taking in all of this information at once, but his words stirred me up. I owe him a lot already for all he has done for me.

"It is dangerous, the odds are not in my favor, and if information about this coup got out, we could all end up dead... But if you help make me king, I will give you everything you wish for."

Kassim reached his hand out. "Will you join me?"

I hesitated at first, but slowly, I reached out and grabbed his hand. Kassim pulled me in, hugging me tight.

"Thank you." He sounded relieved.

"He did this same thing with me, Zagan, and everyone else," Malti said, laughing.

"Now you're in this with the rest of us!" She rubbed my head roughly.

"Aaahhh, I feel better already. Why don't we head out of here and get something to eat?" Kassim said, looking up.

"We're doing nothing else in this dungeon?" I questioned.

"Nah, we just come here so that nobody can listen in on us, using magic or anything else," Malti responded.

I started to think about what happens to the people who refuse to join.

"What if a person doesn't join the coup?"

"Well, that has never happened, so I guess Kassim always picks the right people to tell." Malti shrugged.

Then, out of the corner of my eye, I picked up something. I scanned the wall with my Ular Eye until I saw something covered in moss and vines.

Is that... a face?